It’s the first NFL regular season week 18, and it promises to be a doozy. There are two games on Saturday (that’s today people!) and fourteen on Sunday.
In the NFC, only one playoff spot is left to be determined:
SF 49ers can clinch a playoff berth with:
SF win or tie OR
Saints loss or tie
Saints can clinch a playoff berth with:
Saints win + SF loss
In the AFC, it’s complicated. Boy, is it complicated:
The Colts, Chargers, and Raiders control their own destiny. Win and you’re in. And frankly, if the Colts don’t beat the Jaguars, they don’t deserve to make the post season. The Steelers and Ravens also a have a shot, but need help. Here’s a full rundown:
Colts can clinch a playoff berth with:
IND win or tie OR
LAC loss + BAL-PIT tie OR
LAC loss + PIT loss + MIA win
Chargers can clinch a playoff berth with:
LAC win or tie
Raiders can clinch a playoff berth with:
LV win OR
LV tie + IND loss OR
IND loss + PIT loss or tie
Steelers can clinch a playoff berth with:
PIT win + IND loss + LV-LAC game does not end in a tie
Ravens can clinch a playoff berth with:
BAL win + LAC loss + IND loss + MIA loss or tie
Note that if Indianapolis loses early Sunday, the Chargers and Raiders would both qualify for the playoffs if their game ends in a tie. In theory they could just take a knee and punt back and forth and tie 0-0.
A rare post from me after missing my chance for an even rarer OP! Since I had this almost ready to go, here is the usual list of games and odds:
Saturday
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos (+10.5, 45)
Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles (+3.5, 44.5)
Sunday Early
Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (+3, 44.5)
Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings (-5.5, 43.5)
Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars (+15.5, 44)
Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans (+10, 42)
Washington Football Team @ New York Giants (+7, 38)
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens (-3.5, 41.5)
Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns (-6, 37.5)
Sunday Late
New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins (+6.5, 40)
New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills (-16.5, 40.5)
Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-8, 41.5)
New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons (+3.5, 39.5)
Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals (-5.5, 48)
San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams (-4.5, 44.5)
Sunday Night
Los Angeles Chargers @ Las Vegas Raiders (+3, 48.5)
He’ll play a few snaps, definitely no more than one series. I agree, seems pointless, but standard coach-think is that players get rusty. With their first-round bye, it would be three weeks between games for Rodgers if he sits.
There was an odd penalty in the Chiefs - Broncos game that I’m not sure I’ve ever heard called before. It was an “illegal snap” on Denver. Even when they showed the replay, I wasn’t exactly sure what happened. Can someone who saw it explain it to me?
Bakhtiari has come out, and I don’t know if we’ll see the offense again before halftime. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the last we saw of Rodgers/Adams, and Dillon might be getting fewer snaps, but the general feeling around the Packers is that they’ll keep going as long as they’re healthy. They pulled most of the players dealing with nagging injuries before the game (Jones/Campbell being the big two), so today is as much about making sure everything is clicking as beating a division rival.
Colts are down 16-3, and only the fact that we’ve forced a few field goals has saved us. We need to win this game. It’s going to piss me off if fuckin’ Jacksonville prevents us from making the playoffs.
